Mail-carrying device.



No. 838,746. PATENTED DEC. 18, 1906.

H, PEARSON.

MAIL CARRYING DEVICE.

urmonmn FILED APB.9.1906.

arm Arron 1211' HANS PEARSON, OF ALCESTER, SOUTH DAKOTA.

MAIL-CARRYING DEVICE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 18, 1906.

Application filed April 9, 1906. Serial No. 310,646.

To all whom, it may concern;

Be it known that I, HANs PEARSON, a citi- Zen of the United States,residing at Aloester, in the county of Union and State of South Dakota,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Mail-CarryingDevices; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exactdescription of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in theart to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being hadto theaccompanying drawings, and to the figures of reference markedthereon, Which form a part of this specification.

My invention relates to rural-mail-delivering devices; and the object isto provide means whereby farmers and others who get their mail depositedin a box at the roadside, which is often hundreds up to thousands offeet away from the residence, may have the mail brought home to thehouse without walking to the roadside for it, which trip is oftenneglected, especially where the mailbox is so located that a signal onit cannot be seen from the residence. It also takes more time than itought to for the often busy farmer to attend to the fetching and delivering of his mail in that way, and the trip is especially objectionable inthe winter season when the climate is cold and the snow is deep to wadethrough. This and other objects I attain by the novel construction andarrangements of parts illustrated in the accompanying drawings, andwhich consists of a certain arrangement of posts and lines or wiressupported thereon and serving to transfer the mail-box between theroadside and the house or residence.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of such transferring-linewith the mailbox shown as on its way between the ends of the line. Fig.2 is an enlarged end elevation of the line at a point intermediate itsreal ends. Fig. 3 is a side elevation of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is an enlargedtop view of the bracket, crank-operated pulley, and guiding-sheave seenat the right-hand end of Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawings by referencenumerals, 1 designates the ground,2 the farmers house or building or post near the residence, and 3 is apost near the roadside 4, where the rural-mail-delivering wagon passesalong and deposits the mail into the mailbox 21 when the latter is nearthe post 3. Between 2 and 3 are fixed in the ground a series of posts 5,the number and height of which depends on the topography and dis tancethe house is located from the road 4. In some cases the posts of ayard-fence or other fence may serve for the posts 5.

6 is the track-wire, secured with one end to the post 3 and the otherend to the house or post 2, and intermediate its ends it is supported bybrackets 7, fixed on the posts 5 and having a hole 8, embracing thewire. Said hole 8 is formed in a tubular bearing 9, which is externallytapering toward both ends. Lower down on the posts 5 are fixed brackets10, carrying rollers 11, 12, and 13, by which is guided the upper strandof an endless cable 14, which is stretched over the grooved pulley atthe gate-post 3, and a much larger grooved pulley 16, turned by ahand-crank 17 and shaft 18, the latter being journaled in a bracket 19,secured to the object 2. The lower strand 14 of this cable is guided bythe holes 20 in the brackets.

The mail-box 21, which may have an end door 22, with hinges 23 andlocking-catch 24, is suspended from the track-wire 6 by one orpreferably two hangers 25 and rollers 26 27, and at the bottom of thebox is a single broad arm 28, with a double tapering tube 29, fixed onthe upper strand 14 of the endless cable.

The roller 13 revolves on an arm 30, pi voted at 31 and pressed by thespring 32 toward the roller 12, so that the wire or cable 14 is at alltimes held in the adjacent grooves of the rollers 12 and 13, and whenthe bracket 28 29 passes between the rollers the spring simply yieldswhile it passes. To revent accidental throwing of the arm too ar awayfrom the wire and from pressing on the wire, the arm is controlled byadjustment-screws 33. The sheave 11 is to help support the cable, so itwill not work too hard down between the sheaves 12 and 13. The hangers25 are each provided with a similar arm 34, pivoted at 35 and pressed bythe spring 36 with the roller 27 up under the track-wire 6, the springdoing similar service to that of the spring 32, and the arm 34 iscontrolled by the screws 37, so as to barely let the rollers spreadenough to pass the bearings 9 and to close to such a guiding position onthe wire that the box cannot leave the track. 7

In the bracket 19 is a guiding-roller 38 for bringing the lower strand14 to a parallel with the upper strand. It also serves to stretch theendless cable if it gets slack, and,

further, it serves to bring the loop of the cable into frictionalcontact for a longer distance in the groove of the pulley 16. To theseends the bracket is slotted at 39 for the shaft 40, and the latter isheld in any position in the slot by the head and the nut 41 at oppositeside of the bracket, While the sheave 38 revolves on a sleeve (notshown) placed on the bolt between the arms of the bracket, where it isheld tight by said arms when the nut 41 is drawn tight.

Upon the object 2 is pivoted at 42 to a bracket 43 an arm 44, having atits end a signal M, (indicating mail.) This arm has a pin 45, adapted toengage the notch 46 of a weighted arm or dog 47, pivoted at 48 andresting normally upon a peg 49. From said signal-arm 44 extends thesignal-wire 50, which is guided by the holes 51 in the lower brackets(see Fig. 2) and has its opposite end fixed to a lever 52, pivoted at 53to the post 3 and having its stroke limited by the pegs 54. The brackets7 may preferably have the bearing for the wire made in halves andsecured together by screws or bolts 55. The same applies also to theguiding-arm 28 29, fixed to the bottom of the box. Not only does it savedrilling or coring out a long hole, but it also facilitates the splicingof the wire or cable by securing the ends of the same within and betweenthe semitubular jaws of the brackets. In the post 3 is arranged aslidable bolt 56, embraced by a spring 57.

The operation of the device is as follows: If the box is at the post 3,the mail-carrier places the letters in it and pulls the lever 52outward, pulling on the wire 50, so that the signal 1 leans out from thewall or post 2, thereby indicating that there is mail in the box. Thefarmer or other owner of the mail now takes hold of the crank 17 andturns it until the mail-box touches the sign M and raises it against thehouse, where the hook 47 holds it yieldingly for the next pull by themail-delivering teamster. When the farmer wishes to send mail, he placesit in the box and turns the crank 17 in the reverse direction until hefeels that the end of the mailbox strikes the cushion-bolt 56. If thereis no mail to be sent, the box is still returned to the post 3 so as tobe in readiness for further incoming mail. If so desired, a bell may bemounted so that the signal in falling out from the wall strikes it, andthus or in any other suitable manner causes the bell to sound, andthereby call the attention to the presence of mail in the box. Where theline makes a curve, the bearing 9 on the post at the curve may be curvedsome horizontally.

It is obvious that this device may also be used for carrying maildirectly between postoflice and residences or business places so nearlocated and so situated that the device may be operated and will givesatisfaction.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim, and desire to secureby Letters Patent, is

1. A mail-carrying device comprising a track-wire stretched between thedelivering and receiving points, a mail-box having grooved pulleystraveling on the wire and grooved pulleys below the wire to help keepfrom the latter point, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. A mail-carrying device comprising a track-wire stretched between thedelivering and receiving points, a mail-box having grooved pulleystraveling on the wire and grooved pulleys below the wire to help keepthe upper pulleys down, a pulley at each end of the line, an endlesswire or cable stretched over said pulleys and having the mail-boxsecured to it, and a crank arranged for turning one of said pulleys, andyielding means for stopping the box at each end of the line.

3. A mail-carrying device comprising a track-wire stretched between thedelivering and receiving points, a mail-b0x having grooved pulleystraveling on the wire and grooved pulleys below the wire to help keepthe upper pulleys down, said lower pulleys being spring-held upward andlimited in both upward and downward movement.

4. A mail-carryin device comprising a track-wire stretched between thedelivering and receiving points, a mail-box havin grooved pulleystraveling on the wire an grooved pulleys below the wire to help keep theupper pulleys down, a pulley at each end of the line, an endless wire orcable stretched over said pulleys and having the mail-box secured to it,and a crank arranged for turning one of said pulleys, posts intermediatethe ends of the track-wire brackets on the posts with bearings embracingthe track-wire and tapering toward the wire so as to let the pulleyspass easily over them.

5. A mail-carrying device comprising a track-wire stretched between thedelivering and receiving points, a mail-box having grooved pulleystraveling on the wire and grooved pulleys below the wire to help keepthe upper pulleys down, a pulley at each end of the line, an endlessWire or cable stretched over said pulleys and having the mail-boxsecured to it, and a crank arranged for turning one of said pulleys;posts intermediate the ends of the traclewire, brackets on the postswith bearings embracing the track-wire and tapering toward the wire soas to let the pulleys pass easily over them, brackets on the posts belowthe mail-box, grooved pulleys or rollers thereon for guiding the lowerpart of the mailbox and the strand of the endless cable moving it, saidmail-box having underneath it a flat bracket or arm secured to the cableand adapted to pass between the guidingpulleys, one of saidguiding-pulleys being yieldingly mounted; said lower bracket hav ingapertures supporting the other strand of the endless cable.

6. In a mail-carrying device, the combination with a track-wire and amail-box having pulleys rolling on the wire, of posts and brackets onsame for supporting the Wire, said brackets having elongated tubularbearings embracing the wire and thin broad necks adjacent the bearings,said bearings and necks and part of the bracket being split intoopposite jaws adapted to be opened or closed upon the wire as may bedesired.

7. In a mail-carrying device, the combination with a track-wire and amail-box having pulleys rolling on the wire, of posts and brackets onsame for supporting the wire said brackets having elongated tubularbearings embracing the wire and thin broad necks adjacent the bearings,said bearings and necks and part of the bracket being split intoopposite jaws adapted to be opened or closed upon the Wire as may bedesired, and screws or bolts securing said jaws together.

8. In a mail-carrying device of the class described, the combinationwith an endless cable and pulleys stretching the same, of the bracket 19holding the shaft of one of the pulleys and having the slot 39 with abolt therein and the sheave 38 on the bolt, for the purpose set forth.

9. In a mail-carrying device, the combination with a track and mail-boxadapted to move thereon, of a signal at one end of the track and a Wireor line extending from the signal to the other end of the track, wherebyto operate the signal in one direction; said signal being arranged inthe path of the mailboX so as to be operated by the box in the otherdirection, and yield-able means for holding the signal in the idleposition.

n testimony whereof I afiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

' HANS PEARSON.

Witnesses:

CHAS. J. PETERSON, H. H. SEDGWICK.

